Why Industrial Farming is the World's Most Destructive Industry
Discover > Farm to Table Eating in Texas > Why Industrial Farming is the World's Most Destructive Industry
Industrial farming, as we’ve all observed, does more harm than good because of the unsustainable and inhumane methods of raising livestock. That is especially true out here in Texas where cattle-raising has gone on from generation to generation. This method of unsustainable farming has had negative effects on both the wildlife and plant life throughout the Lone Star State.
If we look at industrial farming through raising livestock, it can be found in a couple of different shapes and sizes where all of them oughta be considered animal cruelty. Cramped living spaces, overcrowding, poor detection and treatment of disease, low or even no sunlight or outdoor access, unnatural diets, and more. The industrial farming corporations care very little for the animals involved and should be rightly thought of as animal cruelty on a massive, global scale.
What are Factory Farms?
The humane ideal of raising livestock should be of happy animals grazing wide-open pastures while being exposed to the outdoors. Factory farming is the opposite of this ideal. Quantity and efficiency are the rules of the game and the top priorities for factory farms and all else is secondary. There does not exist a more rampant example of mass animal cruelty that goes unchallenged in day-to-day operations. These factory farms are a source of great pollution, chiefly from the huge quantities of animal waste that build up. This waste leads to the degradation of the surrounding environment and, at times, contamination of local community water sources.
The negative effects these meat factories have on the Lone Star State aren’t even confined to the natural surroundings. The residential homes and any local businesses unfortunate enough to find themselves neighboring an industrial farming compound are sure to receive some degree of negative fallout as well. Starting with property value, being close to an industrial farming building is a surefire way to see the value of land plummet. There are also copious amounts of antibiotics used on the sickly livestock of factory farms. In recent years, this has been thought to create extra-strong, drug-resistant bacteria. This upgraded bacteria can leach off of the factory farms and spread to the animals and humans in the surrounding area. These resistant bacteria cells have also led to the creation of so-called “superweeds” which plague industrial and independent farmers alike as they continue to grow and spread. With these effects, imagine the breadth and width that this farming method covers with the kinds of livestock being raised and even produce.
Industrial Farming Practice
Industrial farming isn’t restricted to the meat industry. Industrial farming is practiced in the cultivation of crops as well, and this too is damaging to the environment. The industrial process for crop cultivation follows what is called monoculture farming. This is the practice of devoting a massive stretch of land to just a single crop and crowing it en masse. This is done for crops such as soybeans, rice (how long does rice last?), corn, wheat, and more. Because of this, areas that have undergone monoculture crop cultivation have poor soil quality and this harms the whole environment.
The industrial crop sector has a heavy reliance on chemical and pesticide treatments. Monoculture farming is especially appealing to both insects/pests and deep-rooted weeds, both of which require extensive synthetic and chemical treatments to get rid of. Much of what is industrially grown through monocultures is processed into biofuel, junk food ingredients, or, most damagingly, goes directly into the feed supply for the industrial meat sector. This goes against the natural diet of the animals but is preferred by practitioners of industrial farming because it can increase the overall animal size and the rate at which they grow. The downsides to this increased growth speed are plentiful, one key pitfall is that the waste created by animals on this unnatural diet is not fertile. The manure generated on this diet cannot be used to fertilize fields and replenish the soil, instead, it only manages to contribute to the industrial meat industry’s overwhelming waste problem.
Monoculture farming is terrible for the land upon which it is practiced. The process depletes the nutrients and minerals found naturally in the soil and the industrial agriculture companies do not make a strong effort to replenish the land. Monoculture farming often leads directly to soil depletion which is both harmful to the environment and reductive of future resources, making it much more difficult for that land to be effectively used again. Usually, there are instances where shifting farming methods take years or even decades to rehabilitate a piece of land because of the degradation brought about by monoculture farming.
Environmental Effects of Industrial Farming
Industrial farming is extremely damaging to our environment in Texas. The number of harmful emissions released by factory farms outweighs all other industries. According to the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), if you combined the greenhouse gasses of all transportation around the world, the number would still be less than the number of harmful greenhouse gas emissions generated by the Industrial farming industry. This fact alone is telling of the various risks and potential harm posed by these unsustainable practices.
These greenhouse gas emissions are in addition to the land and soil degradation caused by industrial monoculture farming, and the water pollutants released by all industrial farms. The water pollution is severe enough to harm or even kill the naturally present fish and contaminate drinking water. Any community downriver from an industrial farm is at great risk of receiving dangerous runoff.
The goods produced by industrial agriculture corporations are always inferior to those produced by smaller farms and ranches that hold quality above all else. The frequent meat recalls are a direct result of the poor practices employed in factory farms.
E. Coli, Salmonella, and other dangerous bacteria that could hurt you or your children are not properly detected and treated by industrial farming corporations.
Industrial farming is harmful and dangerous. It is the world’s most destructive industry and must be held accountable for the harm it is causing. You can help stop or at least spur change in the industrial agriculture sector by altering your spending and eating habits. Avoiding industrially produced products is possible and an effective way of helping not just yourself and your family, but the environment, and the good independent Texas farmers and ranchers who take pride in their eco-friendly and humane work.
Sources:
https://www.ucsusa.org/our-work/food-agriculture/our-failing-food-system/industrial-agriculture
https://www.farmsanctuary.org/learn/factory-farming/
https://www.aspca.org/animal-cruelty/farm-animal-welfare
